Brush



Patented Dee., fl, i923.,

A winnie-ia GREGORY Knr@ on canarini),

CALF EN 121 BRUSH.

Application'led August 17, 1922. Serial No. 522,347'.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that l, irLLiAM GREGORY Kn'r'r, a citizen Vof Australia, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brushes, of which the followinga specification. This invention pertains to an improvement in brushes and has particular reference to a means for greatly facilitating the removal ofv accumulated material' Vin and around the bristlesyas well as offering a means of adjusting tlielengths of the exposed bristles-and vthereby adding greatly to thev utility thereof. l

All brushes, whether having hair, liber or metallic'bristles are y'more or less; difficult to One of our most necessary articles of toilet,the familiar hair brush,A is particularly difficult to keepy clean and sanitaifv. The bristles are usually quite fine, and the tufts are set close together, andthe aggravating'wa'y in which strands of? hair and other miscellaneous matter can accumulate in and around the bristles of this most useful device is well known.

Cleaning one of these favorite articles with an old comb is only partially effective 'and is likely to be somewhat destructive as well. The tufts of bristles are too large to enter the teeth of even a large comb, so they are more or less broken and bent in the operation, and the brush thus cleaned is almost sure to be damaged.

The constant flexing given the bristles of most brushes soon destroys their resilience, and then in order to keep up the effectiveness of the brushing, for whatever purpose,

we invariably increase the pressure-withthe. result that the bristles are furtlierflexed vvand bent and soon the brush: becomes ineffective,

Vor 'at least insufficiently effective for vour purpose and is discarded; Y c' here brushes having longstiff bristles, set far enough-apart for proper cleaning by ordinary methods, arel used constantly for certain purposes they invariably lose ytheir resilience long before they are 1' actually worn out, and haveto be abandonedcn this account. Y l

rlhe large steel bristle brushes used for. cleaning butchers blocks-are very-'effective for the irstcleaning. rllhe bristles are stiff and long and flex sufficiently inaction to loosen up theaparticles of meat and bone adhering to theblock and throw them'out and .assiettes or cnn-narrare i nunwiciz n. nissen, Iori-sait snai-reisen, canironiviii.

away,ibut are tooflexible -for-linal-cleaning for which purpose a short stiff bristle is desired.

' My invention'ydescrib'ed, illustrated and claimed herein, overcomes in a very large degree all ofthe defects and difliculties enumerated.

principal objectof inventionflistoVv provide means in a brush having` tufted' bristles, for simultaneouslyA cleaning all of the tufts of any kind of accumulated matter by an easy manipulative method'and without `injury to .the tufts or to individual bristles in thetufts. 4

Another object is 1toprovidemeansifor regulating the stiffness, or, l might say, resilience` the bristles,l thus adapting a brush of givenstiffness and resilience lto manifolduses.' A

@ther objects and advantages will becorne apparent by a study of the drawings herewith, wherein 'l have illustrated one embodiment of my invention in a concrete forni. llt is to be understood, however, that I do not wish-to limit myself to the exact construction shown, but wish to include as my invention allthose forms and modifications as will produce the results and advantages inherent in the invention defined in the appendedv claim. Reference now panying drawings wherein like figures of vreference indicate like parts in the various views. v

Figure l is a perspective of one of my imbeing had to the accomproved brushes showing the cleaning device in a normal Vposition against the back of the brush and resting at the base of the bristles.

Figure 2 is an end view showing theparts in the saine position as Figure l.

Y Figure 3 is an end view the same as Figure 2 but with the movable element in the opposite position, showing how it moves along the tufts of bristles in the act of cleaning, or for adjustment to stiffenthe bristles lfor f `some particular use.

` The numeral 1 in the drawings represents Vthe backvof the brush, 2 represents the tufts of bristles and 3 represents a member mov'- ably secured to the back.

The member 3 represents the essenceof my invention and comprises a metallic'shield or plate having depending side portions 4,' and brace rods 5 lacross the endspto actas stilfening members as wellas stop members. It will be observed that the plate adja A cent the tufts of bristles is perforated as at at 7, and at the ends as at 8. rlhe side re-V cesses carry serrated surfaces having longitudinal lines running therethrough that have a tendency to engage the free edges of the member 3 when itis in adjusted position and gripped by the hand of the operator and thus -help to hold the adjustment. The end Y recesses 8 form paths for the rods 5 to move in and the ledges 9 form stopsto prevent `the plate 3 from being pulled beyond the ends of the bristles. Y

In cleaning a brush equipped with this invention it is only necessary for the operator to pull .the plate 3 as far forward as it'will go, as per` Figure 3, when all of they accumulations of hair, lint, fuzz or what not will be pushed to the ends of the bristlesV Y where it can easily Vbe removed with the iingers or any suitableV implement.

In using the invention for the purpose of Vstifl'eiiing the bristles of a brush that is too soft or flexible or for stilfeiiing Vbristles that have lost their resiliencey through long, or: Y Y

improper use, the plate 3 is movedforward along the bristles until Vthe desired vstiiit'nessr Y is obtained, when it maybe gripped by the side flanges 4 and firmly held in place while being manipulated, the serrated surfacesen- Y gaging the free edges ofV themember 3 and'V assisting in holding the adjustment.

Referring again to the butchers blocks.

It appears that the manipulator in cleaning the blockV likes a stili" bintV somewhat V.flexible brush for preliminary cleaning,.theistiffness soKV serves to loosen the accumulated. materialVA on the surface of Vthe block: and the fleXibility tends to throw the material out and away from the block. Then for final clean-Y ing he desires a'short stiff bristle that will have more of a'cutting and scraping action. With my invention he has ysimply to move the plate member 3 to any position he likes to get any degree of4 stiness desired, thus Y V making the one brush serve a dual purpose'.`

By adjusting the member 3'to the limit of its movement he Vcan get the lmaximum 'stift ness for iiiial cleaning,- aiid by adjusting it only slightly forward along the tufts of bristles. he can Ywith a nicety adjust Vthe bristles to exactlythe resilience he likes for his preliminary Work. V j

' Having thus described `my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

A brush including a back and a'fpluralityV Yof bristle tufts extending from one face,

thereof, an apertured plate movable to and from the face of said back and through the j apertures of which said tufts project, said plate beingbent at oppositesides to overlie the side edges of 'said back,members uniting the opposite bent portions of the member at their corresponding ends, said back being ltransversely grooved atl its ends to receive said uniting members, the side walls forming said grooves affording stops for limit- Y ing the movement of'said plate longitudinally of said bristle tufts. In testimony whereofl I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM GREGORYKETT. 

